ELECTIONS IN MEXICO

(The good and the bad things)

The desire to have power moves people to do things they never imagined they would do in their lives; and in the political area this is not the exception. This time in several states of  Mexico, there will be new governors, deputees  and majors in June, 2021; but the celebrations began since the first days of May.  And I talk about celebrations  because in these times of elections, candidates want to gain followers and they do many activities that they would not do in a normal year.   It is a moment when neighbors, (who had never talked to each other), from one moment to another, become friends. There is a time  when the candidates begin sharing a little bit of what they have  too. They share money, presents, and their time.

In addition to that, many people organize meetings and reunions everywhere. Some volunteers offer their homes to receive their favorite candidates and they invite their neighbors to listen to their proposals. When their meetings end, they offer breakfast or  meals to everybody;  they all laugh and enjoy the time together. In the meantime, somewhere else, the citizens receive t-shirts, aprons, candies, hats, caps, buckets, blenders, boilers, construction materials, money, computers, etc. from every candidate. It is a non declared practice but it usually occurs, in an evironment where everthing is hidden but everybody knows what happens there.

Another common activity is that political groups wear  similar uniforms or colors, and all together organize parades at the beginning and at the end of their campaigns. They march along the streets of the towns to convince more people and  recite their proposals to “improve everybody`s living conditions”. Sometimes, there is also dancing, or some small festivals that distract the citizens from their routine and their everyday, gray life.

In the elections day, people wake up early and go to vote. Not all of them but some do it. Participation to vote in Mexico has not gotten to be in a 100% yet. There are still some people who do not believe in democracy and who think that going to vote is like going to watch a science fiction movie. Some other people do believe in the activity of voting and they begin their day by standing on line,with thier ID at hand, believing that they can be the authority and that their decision to choose their governing legislators will make the difference.

 At the end, the times of elections are great for many because they give themselves the opportunity lo dream about a nice, tranquil and promising future. It´s a time when everybody becomes a child again and believes in promises and in people. They all hope that one day there will be a promised land, where everything is good, where everybody works well  and the whole country turns into a first world class place. We still need to be aware that to change a country, everybody needs to change and everbody needs to cooperate with it too. Any candidate, no matter the political party or the position he or she belongs to, will not be able to change our country or a State, if we do not participate and collaborate actively and if we do not commit to change.

*Rosalía Nalleli Pérez-Estrada. Directora de Universidad Santander, Campus Tlaxcala. Lingüista. Maestra en competencias docentes y con estudios de doctorado en Socioformación y en Ciencias de la Educación. Con más de 27 años de experiencia en la docencia en la enseñanza de idiomas y en educación, ha sido directora y docente en Educación superior pública y privada; escritora e Investigadora invitada por CIFE y fundadora de la Sociedad Anónima Madison School Come to Be the Best, desde 1999.